How to Quit Smoking

Quitting takes hard work and a lot of effort, but you can be tobacco free!

According to the U.S. Surgeon General stopping smoking represents the single most important step that smokers can take to enhance the length and quality of their lives. That’s because smoking and tobacco use is the single largest preventable cause of disease and death in the U.S.

Smoking is responsible for nearly one in three cancer deaths and one in five deaths from all causes. Another 8.6 million people live with serious illnesses caused by smoking. However, nearly 42 million Americans still smoke – that’s almost one in five adults.

The programs and resources below are available to help you quit smoking today.

1-800-Quit-Now

Pennsylvania Department of Health has joined other state health departments in offering its residents a free “Quitline.” Pennsylvania’s Quitline, 1-800-Quit-Now (800-784-8669), is offered as a partnership between the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Based on state-of-the-art techniques in tobacco use cessation, the service provides counseling and structured assistance for individuals who are committed to quitting.

The Quitline is staffed by a group of clinically trained counselors. Callers are assessed for their readiness to quit and given counseling options. Counselors then offer up to three pro-active counseling sessions to tobacco users who are ready to make a serious attempt to quit.

When compared with tobacco users who try to quit on their own, tobacco users who make quit attempts with telephone support and self-help advice are approximately twice as likely to attain success.

The free Quitline (1-800-QUIT-NOW) can be accessed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. All calls are confidential and strict privacy of all information received will be maintained.

Crozer-Keystone Health System offers a Lung Screening Program using low-dose CT scans. The program follows the high risk inclusion criteria as established by the National Lung Cancer Screening Trial.

Results of a recent landmark National Lung Screening Trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, show that screenings with a low-dose CT scan can detect lung tumors early and reduce the lung cancer mortality rate by 20 percent for smokers.

Five Keys for Quitting

Quitting takes hard work and a lot of effort, but with the “five keys for quitting” you will be on your way to becoming smoke free.

1. Get Ready

Set a quit date and stick to it – not even a single puff!

Think about past quit attempts. What worked and what did not.

2. Get Support and Encouragement

Tell your family, friends, and co-workers you are quitting.

Talk to your doctor or other health care provider.

Get group, individual, or telephone counseling.

3. Learn New Skills and Behaviors

When you first try to quit, change your routine.

Reduce stress.

Distract yourself from urges to use tobacco.

Plan something enjoyable to do every day.

Drink a lot of water and other fluids.

4. Get Medication and Use it Correctly

Talk to your healthcare provider about medications.

Nicotine patch-available over-the-counter.

Nicotine gum-available over-the-counter.

Nicotine inhaler-available by prescription.

Nicotine nasal spray-available by prescription.

Bupropion SR-available by prescription.

Varenicline-available by prescription.

5. Prevent Relapse

Avoid alcohol.

Be careful around other tobacco users.

Improve your mood in ways other than smoking.

Eat a healthy diet and stay active.

For more information about the dates and locations of upcoming sessions and to register, contact Crozer-Keystone Community Health Education at 610-497-7300.

Why Quit Smoking

You will live longer and live healthier.

The people you live with, especially your children, will be healthier.

You will have more energy and breathe easier.

You will lower your risk of heart attack, stroke, or cancer.

At $6.00 per pack, if you smoke 1 pack a day, you will save $2,190.00 each year..

Consistent with our mission to improve the health of our community, the use of tobacco, smokeless tobacco and electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) is prohibited in Crozer-Keystone facilities and properties.